We had other plans for Thanksgiving, but after all the driving around, both of us were too tired to do anything but call around looking for something good and open in Albany. On my short list of Chinese restaurants to try was Ocean Palace, and thankfully, they picked up right away. This was our first visit, and we will probably be going back. There were quite a few customers, but the place has an airy feel that was quite comfortable. Lots of windows, comfortable tables, and a very calm feel to it. Staff here was great: attentive and friendly, and very accepting of my ridiculous enthusiasm for soup dumplings. :) We lived in NYC for 30+ years, and a considerable number of my dining out experiences were weekend mornings in Chinatown in Manhattan (sorry, no experience with Flushing). We've eaten a lot of dim sum over the years, so we started with a dim-sum-esque variety (the edamame dumplings in veg broth were very good, but the spring rolls were too oily), then my husband ordered baby bok choy and shitake mushrooms, beautifully presented and which he loved. But me? I ordered a *second* steamer of soup dumplings. Yes, my Thx dinner was almost entirely soup dumplings, and I'd do it again next year (don't tell my grandma). The soup in the dumpling and the meat filling were excellent. The *ONLY* quibble I have is that the wrapper was thick, almost doughy. The regular steamed vegetable dumplings had very thin wrappers, much more what I was expecting. The thickness made it much easier to get it into your spoon with chopsticks, but, again IMO, it put the proportions off. As is probably obvious, I'm neither a chef nor Chinese, or I'd have a much bigger frame of reference. There is also always a wide variety in how different families make their biscuits, etc. The food at Ocean Palace was not the best I've ever had, but it was very tasty, and though the soup dumplings were not perfect, I'd have them for lunch today again if I could. read more

Ok, it's definitely Peter Chan in the kitchen after my skepticism in previous update. I know this because first, a regular customer came in and called out "hey Peter how you doin?" Second, because the hard working chef is once again quietly exerting his authority with small acts of independence. He brought out my lunch special himself but declined to give me a dinner plate (needed because the serving entirely covers the oval plate it was delivering on) and, once again, my pork with pickled cabbage had no pickled cabbage. Touche, Peter. The regular customer ordered items I would never consider, like walnut shrimp and egg foo young. But I'm sure it was still great, as was my no-pickles pork, as is everything Peter cooks. The guy is a gem. And he looks to be in good health after that mystery hiatus so I hope he'll be around awhile. read more

I remember reading that Ocean Palace was closing for months to renovate. I was happy to see the results. The entrance looks a lot better. Instead of picking up takeout at the front door, customers can now make their way to the counter. I'm glad to see them reopen. I had a lunchtime craving for Cantonese style curry chicken. It was a favorite dish growing up and it brings back fond memories. Another favorite is Roast Pork Lomein. I also bought a shrimp stuffed eggplant appetizer. It was pretty good. There are also new lunch options. Instead of a free can of soda, I was offered soup. I chose Hot & Sour Soup. It was good. This is one of the few local Asian restaurants that offers brown rice which is a healthier option. I always make a point of calling ahead so the food order is ready by the time I get there. read more

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Great food! I would definitely recommend getting takeout from here. Service is fast too!

Unbelievable Dim Sum!! Older couple runs it. Not the classiest area but food is memorable. Try the General Tso's Shrimp.

Good find! We were traveling from the South and after being on the road for almost 7 hours, we needed something substantial and satisfying. Went to this place coz they had soup, rice and dim sum. Everything was great! We haven't had this good of a Chinese since moving south of NY. So glad we found them. Small place but very friendly staff and great food! (No pics, we inhaled everything!) Highly recommend the egg drop soup, beef and broccoli and the Mango general tso shrimp! read more

Recently ordered takeout during the holidays. We tried egg rolls,egg drop soup,an eggplant dish,Chinese broccoli,a noodle dish and a chicken dish ( fried chunks in a sauce with broccoli. ). Food was okay but not stellar by any means. Egg rolls so so. Egg drop soup had a hint of sesame oil which was different (at least I think it was sesame oil). All in all not bad but could have been better. I'll probably give them another try in the future but not recommending it on this experience. read more

Everything -the food was terrible. The dumplings were gummy. The restaurant was a dump with not many redeeming qualities. How could it get so bad in so short a period of time??? read more

I work very close by and my coworkers all swear by this place. It is takeout only, you enter into an airlock meant for one person and pay + get your order through a window. Now, onto the food. I ordered the lunch special eggplant with garlic sauce and opted for brown rice and a vegetable egg roll. The portion was generous and for less than $12, you really can't beat it! The garlics sauce was very flavorful! Did it blow me away? Ehhh not really - but the menu is extensive and I very likely ordered the wrong thing. I am looking forward to trying multiple other things on the menu! Will update this review once I try more because I would love to give this small business 5 stars! read more

Ocean Palace - Lunch special: 91. Eggplant With Garlic Sauce. Selected brown rice as the side. Also not pictured: vegetable egg roll. - Dim Sum Near Me - Albany, New York

The best in the capital region.Dont be mislead about the location. They have a large following with the Chinese community.i knew people who come from Hudson to eat there. read more

There a few tables for dine in but it's more set up for take out. Very good food and service! I love the flounder with black bean sauce!

Food was amazing, as good as any NYC China Town restaurant and service was wonderful and delightful

Looks like a crappy take out place ( don't be scared by the appearance and location) but the food is fantastic!!!

Satisfactory but not the highest quality. The owner is very friendly and provides pleasant service but I was disappointed by the quality of the food. I recommend the shiu mai and pork buns. The shiu mai have a lot of meat and flavor while the buns are large with yummy pork. They're a little more dough-y than I usually like but are satisfying. I was not impressed with the rice noodle shrimp roll or dumplings(har gow). I enjoy thicker rice noodles to be used for the shrimp roll and these were too thin and slippery for me. It was difficult to eat because it kept falling apart. The dinner combination meal (I got general Tso chicken) was mediocre. I liked how it included broccoli and an egg roll but the sauce from the chicken was a bit overpowering and monotonous. The sauce needs to have either more acid or umami and less orange flavor. read more

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What else can I say that all the other Yelp reviewers already haven't said. This place is fantastic Chinese. Only wish they delivered. I finally ordered some take out, and just sampled dishes the other Yelp reviewers mentioned. The Yeung Chow fried rice was excellent. The meat was fresh, including the pork; not like the little red kibbles of processed pork you find in the other establishments, but nice cut pieces of pork. Was fresh, and vegetables added were very nice. The turnip cakes were cooked perfect. Three large pieces, soft in the center and crispy outside. Didn't come with dipping sauce, but that was OK, since I also ordered the been curd skin roll dish with pork, and the sauce/gravy with that was perfect for dipping. First time trying that dish, and I will get it every time. Was very yummy. Also had the General's Chicken and Sweet and Sour Pork. I asked for spicy and the cook was more than happy to oblige. It came out hot, spicy, fresh, and both the chicken and pork were nice cutlets of lean meat. This was the best of those two dishes I've had in Albany. From the outside this place doesn't look like much, and you wouldn't think that it served outstanding fresh cuisine, but it does. The owners are also very nice and willing to accommodate any modifications in your orders. This is now my go to take out Chinese place. Only wish they delivered and had more seating. Then it would get 5 stars. read more

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Over priced for what you get. Portions seem smaller and price much higher than other Chinese takeout. Maybe owners think too highly of their food or they are just getting greedy. Sorry this is the last time I eat here. For a place that is pretty run down and dirty and even higher prices for sitting down to eat your meal, you can enjoy fine a better dining experience at those prices. Food does not justify the cost unless you like throwing away your hard earned money. Meh + $$ = Goodbye. read more

One bad experience can be challenging to overcome. My kids love dim sum. Like crazy. Shumai is one of their favorites. So one day I took them to Ocean Palace, having heard good things, and we ordered a few dishes from the dim sum menu. Literally, everything we had was disappointing. Especially the shumai. But people who I know and trust love this restaurant, so I figured we must have ordered wrong, and I was determined to return. Return I did with Steve N. for his first dim sum eating experience ever. And it was delicious. Specifically notable was anything that got tossed in the flaming hot wok, and the delicious wok char we were treated to on the plates. This included the deluxe fried rice, and the vegetables in the salt and hot pepper squid. Those are two incredible dishes. However, I wasn't convinced I was a fan until my third visit this past weekend, which was another success. The squid wasn't quite as perfect as it was on my prior meal, but we ordered two different preparations of Chinese broccoli, and each was super. The turnip cakes continued to be excellent. And the tripe converted non-tripe eaters over to the offal side. Ocean Palace made better beef balls than the celebrated dim sum parlor in Montreal, and even the shumai were tender and delicious. It would look like the first time was just a fluke. Or maybe the kitchen is more inspired to pull out all the stops when cooking for a large food loving group who are taking the time to enjoy their food hot and fresh in the very small dining area. Now, knowing what I know about the wok char, I'm tempted to try ordering a few other dry-fried dishes from the menu. But no matter what, I'm getting the fried rice and the Chinese broccoli with the garlic and ginger. Surely, there are other winners still I have still yet to discover. read more

Food was average. We had to wait over an hour for the food that we were told would be ready in 20 minutes. They kept telling us they were very busy but we were sitting outside in the car waiting. Three people picked up their orders in the hour and 10 minutes we waited. Really wanted to like this place based on the reviews we read. But sadly this did not live up to the hype. read more

There is a master within these walls. When you walk in to Ocean Palace you will feel as if you have been transported to Chinatown in NYC and Boston. It is small. Only a few tables. It isn't particularly clean. We even observed a few flies. If you care about this stuff go eat at the 100 other Chinese takeout joints. Have it delivered in the white cardboard boxes. Maybe P.F. Changs is your speed. If you want authentic stir fry this is your guy. The dim sum is also fantastic. We tried the clams with black beans, shu mai, tripe and fried salted squid. The shu mai didn't blow me away but everything else did. Afraid of tripe? This chef will end that. We also ordered Shrimp/Scallop with XO sauce, Young Chow fried rice, Shrimp with Vegetables, Thai Short Ribs with Mango and Chinese Broccoli. The sauces where incredible, balanced and not too salty. Super fresh vegetables. There is a smokiness/char in every dish which is hard to describe. The chefs cooking technique is unmatched in my opinion. The Short Rib/Mango was amazing. I believe it could have benefited from a bit more spice/heat but it was an inspired dish. The chow rice and shrimp/scallop with XO sauce were mind blowing. I have never had better fried rice or stir fry. This restaurant would be best experienced in person. Skip the take out. Bring a group, hope the lazy susan table is available and prepare to be amazed! read more

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My son and I really enjoyed the food we got from here, yesterday! In fact we liked the crab Rangoon's and shrimp egg rolls so much that we are ordering more to go with our left over Dumplings, Lo Mein and Egg Foo Young tonight! We are visiting from Denver, Colorado and Chinese food is not very good there so it was great to have our first Chinese food experience in New York be so good! read more

My wife knew I wanted Chinese for dinner (specifically, General Tso's chicken) and picked this place. We arrived around 6:30PM on a weeknight and found a parking spot next door in the alley. The restaurant was cute in a way that only lime green and wood paneling could be, and we were seated at a table that was greasy and sticky. They can only hold about 20 people but the place was never more than half full while we were there. We ordered General Tso chicken (me), Orange Beef (wife), wonton soup, and sesame balls at the end for dessert. Options for rice included white, brown, and fried. Food came up quickly though our entrees were staggered. I imagine they can only cook one at a time. There were some lively conversations from the back in Chinese, so I think many people were in the kitchen. Our waitress was very pleasant. My wife had the soup and commented that the broth was perhaps the best she has ever had! My entree was disappointing. General Tso chicken isn't authentic (I know) but it should taste sweet and spicy. It wasn't cloyingly sweet... which I appreciated... but it wasn't spicy at all. The nearby table ordered it "extra spicy" which perhaps should have been a cue. Worse, it came absolutely chock full of fried onions and peppers. I hate onions, but even if I didn't they gave the dish an overall vegetal flavor that overwhelmed whatever sauce was on it. It did have some steamed broccoli florets, but they tasted off, almost rancid. My wife's orange beef was not accompanied by onions and peppers, but it did have some of the same broccoli. It wasn't overly sweet either but I didn't taste orange at all. There was some stir fried orange peel included but she advised not to eat it as it was burnt. It certainly looked it. Her first pieces of broccoli were fine, but then the rest also tasted bad too. Maybe they cook it in advance and it spoiled, or picked up off flavors in the fridge? The sesame balls came four to an order and were also disappointing. They arrived hot and we let them cool for a bit. My first bite was nothing but oil. There wasn't much filling inside and my bite missed it completely, so I only had the dough to taste. There isn't much filling inside, and even after eating it I wouldn't be able to say that it was sesame paste. It wasn't very sweet. My wife had similar opinions, though she thought that the oil might have been bad. Since it is a small restaurant I assume they share oil fryers and gave it a pass. Their menu has a lot of "American Chinese" dishes so I assume that they make them frequently. I don't think I ordered wrong at this place. I think I just don't like their recipes. One customer came in and asked if they had the "intestine and cabbage special" (yikes!) so if you want something exotic or "authentic" this might be a good place to try. However, there are lots of great Chinese restaurants that make what I like how I like it so I probably won't be back. read more

First off, I just want to say that I absolutely love dim sum. There's not many places in Albany that you can get it, and we were aware before we came that it order-by-menu and not a la carte dim sum. The interior is small, but it doesn't look like it gets that crowded. We came on a weekday, and over the course of our visit, only two other patrons came to dine there. It didn't look like anyone ordered take-out, but we got there right when they opened, so they're probably busier later in the day (and especially at night!) Now for the food: we ordered har gow, a personal favorite, the shrimp rice roll, shumai, the Hong Kong egg roll, the Buddha's Delight Dumpling, chicken feet, the spare ribs with black bean, and a bowl of egg drop soup. The egg drop soup is one of the best dishes of egg drop soup that I've ever had, hands down. It makes me sad that this place is so far away from me otherwise I'd probably get it everyday. It's really rich and flavorful and not watered down at all. If you're a fan of egg drop soup, you should definitely try it here. I really liked the shumai, but I'm just a fan of shumai in general, as the spare ribs with black bean and chicken feet. They were good, came as expected. I never had a Buddha's Delight Dumpling before, but I liked it, and it's something I'd order again. The shrimp rice roll was also not what I expected - it's a few patties of shrimp wrapped in a long rice roll that reminded me of a thin sealed enchilada, no veggies or anything, just the shrimp. It's not bad, interesting to try, but I probably wouldn't get it again. The only thing that I might knock off half a star for is that our dumplings were falling apart. The first round of Buddha's delight dumplings and har gow were spilling out - the shrimp spilled out of the har gow before it even got to the table, making it really difficult to eat. My friend said that he was used to that in Hong Kong and he was always told that meant it was "very fresh" - I don't know about that, but when we ordered a second batch a short while later, they were all sealed and held together well. Overall, the worst part of this place is that it's so far away from me because I want to go back again! There's a few more dishes that I want to try in terms of dim sum but I also want to try a few of the main dishes, as well as some of the soups. I know this review is kind of long but I hope it shows that the food made an "impression" - in this case, a positive one! Would I recommend it? Most definitely. I'm already trying to make up an excuse to be in the area again so I can go back myself! read more

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First, a big THANK YOU to Steve N. for organizing an evening of delightful Dim Sum. We tried maybe 15 different items from the Dim Sum menu. While some items were more preferred over others, there was nothing that wasn't full of flavor. Every dish was freshly prepared in the kitchen and delivered in stages to our special table with a lazy susan top making it super easy for five of us to share. Service was excellent and efficient. It is fantastic to know that such tasty Dim Sum can be ordered any hour that they are open, any day they are open. read more

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For our Christmas Eve dinner, Johnny makes THE best Peking duck! We came from Saratoga to pick up this amazing dinner for our celebration! We lived in Hong Kong for several years and our favorite was Peking Duck at spring deer in Kowloon HK. You nailed it Johnny!! Thank you! read more

Ocean Palace - Dim Sum Near Me - Albany, New York

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Had some really good dim sum today and was so pleased when we got the bill and it was only $14 per person for an avalanche of food! My favorites included the spare ribs in a flavorful brown sauce, The Chinese broccoli steamed with big chunks of garlic and ginger, the yung chow fried rice, and the eggplant stuffed with shrimp. Space inside the restaurant is limited (our party of 10 took up the only big table available) but it's lots of fun to dine with a big group! read more

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Probably some of the best Chinese in the area and for a low price! Definitely recommend trying it

Ocean Palace is my favorite go to Chinese take out in Albany. The prices are within reason and the quality is excellent. The Central Avenue location leaves a bit to be desired but it never dissuades me for stopping by for my favorite Asian dishes. Ocean Palace deserves its 5 star rating. read more

I stop here for one and only one thing (repeatedly) so I'll skip the rest in this "review". The item is beef with bitter melon in black bean sauce. If you don't care for it, you don't have a Cantonese palate or you don't care to try it, I suggest not to read on. Two word: so good!!! Very fulfilling and as good as those found in large Chinatowns. The beef and the gourd are in perfect texture. There is a hint of the bitterness in a well balanced sauce. All in a good sized portion that fills me well without feeling all uncomfortably stuffed up. read more

I came here with my husband hoping to discover another good chinese place to eat at. We ordered the General Tso's chicken, Orange beef, Wonton soup, and Sesame balls. The General Tso's chicken was okay but the broccoli that came with both dishes tasted a little funky. Maybe it had picked up some off flavors from other things in the refrigerator but it wasn't good. The sesame balls which we both love were under filled and tasted like the oil they were fried in was also funky. The wonton soup on the other hand was really good. The best I've had in a long time if ever. The wrappers were thing and the filling was ample. Aside from the wrappers the broth is what really stood out to me. It was well seasoned and didn't seem to be boxed chicken stock with just a few things thrown in. I'm not sure if we will be back but this place definitely has its regular customers. The tables behind us both seemed to enjoy their food including a few guys that were there frequent enough to know the kitchen staff. They ordered the General Tso's chicken too. read more

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Best Chinese food in the area period. It's yummilicious and everyone should have it. Even for vegetarians there's stuff that's epic - Buddha delight dumplings, spicy lo mein and sesame tofu are some of my favourites. read more

Albany is lucky and blessed to have owner/chef Peter Chan performing his culinary artistry at his Ocean palace for anyone smart enough to dine there or enjoy the take out at home or in the office. You can't go wrong with anything on the menu. Keep experimenting. read more

I've been on a trek across the Albany area to find the best Chinese lunch spot - and this one is my favorite. It's so much my favorite that I've enjoyed a dim sum party here, multiple dinner takeout nights, and so many numerous orders of shrimp with garlic sauce that I can't keep count. The space is small. Cozy. More geared for takeout - but the food prep is fast and still holds delicious once I bring it home. What really makes this place stand out from every other takeout Chinese place is the freshness in ingredients. When I order my garlic sauce, there are fresh pieces of garlic and ginger in the dish. Same goes with a variety of other dishes here - simple with fresh ingredients really makes this my go to takeout Chinese place. Lunch comes with soup and a smaller version of a dish - which tends to be the perfect size if not a little too much for me. They have brown rice as an option too. The prices can't be beat, even for dinner. read more

A chef, an officer, and a Yelper walk into Ocean Palace. No this is not the beginning of a joke, it's a recap of my first dining experience at Peter Chan's latest location. The APD officer was in the same boat, convinced to come here by fellow officers, while the chef commented that she eats here on a regular basis, to get her "Chinese Fix". We all reminisced about the location next to Westgate Plaza that all three of us remembered well. The officer and chef were standing at the counter, and the officer commented to us that the floor inside the kitchen was spotless. We were seated stage right, next to the large table with a spinning top. A waiter walked up to take our order, and having realized that I've never met Peter, I asked if that was in fact him. He responded that no, it was not, but he let Peter know that we wanted to say hello. Peter came out from the kitchen shortly, we were brought a kettle of tea, and chatted a bit. We ordered, in the order that it was brought out: Scallop dumplings, shrimp dumplings, lotus leaf sticky rice, steam roast pork bun, sesame balls, scallion pancake, vegetable lo mein, general Tso's chicken, Thai style short ribs with mango. Scallop dumplings - Tasty, good taste, good texture, I thought it was 4.5 stars, wife thought it was 5 stars. Shrimp dumplings - Absolutely delicious, perfect texture, and dipping sauce was a nice added touch. 5 stars from both of us. Lotus leaf sticky rice - This might be the ultimate comfort food. Very delicate flavor, warm, gooey, delicious. Solid 5 stars from both of us. Steam roast pork bun - Tasted as I had them in China, authentic, delicious, perfect combination of sweet and savory, protein and carbs, yang and yang. Also, a solid 5 stars. Sesame balls - Crunchy on the outside, gooey on the inside, excellent flavor, solid 5 stars. Vegetable lo mein - This dish stole our hearts. Wife reminisced that this is the first time in decades that she's tasted a properly made lo mein. This deserves more than the 5 stars available, the best that we've had in the Capital District. General Tso's chicken - For a non-Chinese dish, it was excellent, and also the best that we've had in the Capital District. Thai Style Short Ribs - The mango was a nice touch, beef had great flavor, I've never had a similar dish before, but mostly based on ease of eating, I would get the above mentioned items, or other items, before I would get these again. I would call it 4 stars, even though it would be 5 stars at any other restaurant. The fireplace heater, spotless interior, tasty, hot, free, tea, spot on service, low prices, and delicious food means that we will be back often. read more

Ocean Palace - Thai style short ribs with mango. - Dim Sum Near Me - Albany, New York

I'm a regular at Ocean Palace, so when a Yelp group decided to hold an Unofficial Yelp Event there, I was hoping they would be able to show off their stuff. Steve N. organized a dim sum event because he had never tried it before. We needed a place that serves dim sum in the evening and Ocean Palace seemed to fit the bill. Once Steve discovered that Ocean Palace does not serve beer or wine, he dashed across Central Avenue to get some beers - this was the perfect complement to our sumptuous feast. There were five of us and it seemed like we ordered half the dim sum menu, but no, not quite: Bean curd skin roll with pork Chicken feet Shiu Mei Shrimp Rice Roll Spare Ribs w. Black Bean Sauce Tripe w. Ginger and scallion Turnip Cake Squid with salt and hot pepper (jalapenos) Young Chow Fried Rice Fish preserved egg congee Fried sweet rice with pork Sesame Balls Choy sum with oyster sauce Steamed Scallop Dumpling Stuffed vegetable bean curd roll (special) Mini bun with pork Steamed pork bun The squid with salt and hot pepper rang the bell for many different reasons, one being that the squid was perfect. The accompanying veggies and jalapenos were grilled to perfection with just a kiss of sear. It came together as a beautiful combination of salty, spicey, smokey wonderfulness. The Young Chow Fried Rice was from the regular menu, but after trying it and enjoying it immensely at Ala Shang Hai I had to see how the Ocean Palace version held up. Let's just say it wasn't served until about the middle of this huge list of dishes and there was none left about 20 minutes later. Steve wants to go back for more. Me too! Steve got a proper initiation to the art of a dim sum party, and the rest of us chowed down with great relish on our favorites, happy that our Albany pal discovered some new dishes. Afterwards the suggested walk down Lark Street was greeted with enthusiasm as we sloshed our way into the night. read more

Ocean Palace - Choy sum and tofu rollup make a perfect lunch - Dim Sum Near Me - Albany, New York

I think this is the best Chinese food and dim sum in Albany. Rivals Chinatown in NYC to me. Small dive but worth the trip. Can call in orders if you live nearby. This is a foodie spot. Not a chicken fast food and fries place. Excellent food. Try the chicken and garlic sauce. Wow!! With scallion pancakes made with loving care. read more

Best Chinese take-out in the Capital area. Don't mind the look of thr place. The food is fantastic.

Very authentic HK style Chinese food. It has become my favorite Chinese place in Albany. Came here twice for lunch and will come back to try their dim sum. Get their roast duck and you won't be disappointed. Price is reasonable and service is great. Wish they had a bigger place! read more

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Cheap, and delicious food. There's not many places in Albany where you can get dim sum. I had the roast duck noodle soup, yum. The broth was seasoned just right, and it was a good size bowl. So comforting on a cold Monday night. Best part is it was only $8! read more

Very solid dim sum for the price point. No surprises with what you're getting here. Fresh. Good textures on the dumpling wrappers. Lots of filling with plenty of meat. Standout dish: Salt and pepper squid Short bus dish: Shrimp rice roll (tiny shrimps, so the beef one is better value plus is more seasoned) Must try non-dim sum: Kung pao chicken This is not going to knock your socks off with bold flavors or interesting twists on classics. Honestly, it is pretty true to authentic Canto style dim sum. A sharable, bitesize feast. read more

Excellent traditional dim sum and other dishes. Everything on the menu is outstanding, staff is fast and friendly. Prices are super reasonable. read more